Research Team

Professor Adam Cygan

My research interests lie in the field of EU Public law and governance. In particular, I focus on the relationship between national parliaments and the EU Institutions within the context of the decision-making process.

My main research focus is on party politics on the centre right in Britain. I am particularly interested in the Conservative Party and European integration; the relationship between the Conservative Party and the British nation state; and Euroscepticism in Britain.

My main research interests concern two areas: the study of legislatures, and British parties and European integration. On the first of these, my work has focused on the European Parliament and its internal organisation. I have also worked on the relationship between parliament and government at Westminster. On the second, I have focused on party competition on the centre right in Britain.

The project

Brexit is reshaping the divisions within and between political parties, impacting upon the strategies adopted by parties and individual MPs, and requiring Parliament to adapt its structures and procedures. This project combines analysis of the importance of institutions, and legislative and regulatory norms with an examination of the motivations and behaviour of political parties, individual MPs and the government.

The project has four objectives.

(1) To enhance understanding of how the Brexit vote has affected UK party politics, including divisions within and between parties, the positions and preferences of MPs, party positions in Parliament and party competition on EU issues. We will analyse data on the positions on the EU issue adopted by parties and MPs since 2010, assessing how divisions within parties are changing and whether new patterns of cross-party cooperation are emerging.

(2) To develop knowledge of how Parliament responds to Brexit in terms of its structures and procedures, and how effective this response has been. We are examining the work of the Exiting the EU select Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and other departmental select committees, collecting data on and assessing divisions and cooperation within and across these bodies.

(3) To identify those areas of policy that have been most subject to conflict between and within parties and are most likely to change once the UK has left the EU. After Brexit, the UK Parliament will exercise competence over a range of policy areas (e.g. environmental protection, farming, employment rights) which have hitherto been legislated for at the EU level. We are assessing the extent to which MPs seek to formulate UK versions of existing EU legislation or continue to broadly adopt EU norms and standards.

(4) To address the policy priorities of key stakeholders we are working with our impact partner the Industry and Parliament Trust to:

(a) better understand the interests and concerns of business and industry stakeholders regarding the Brexit process and the changes that Brexit is likely to bring to their activities;

(b) foster effective dialogue between business and industry stakeholders and MPs; and

(c) provide business and industry stakeholders with clear guidance and analysis of the role and activity of Parliament and MPs in the Brexit process.